Letter: In response to ID vandalism

When I saw the degree of damage in Chinatown from vandalism today, I almost ventured out despite a heart condition, past my curfew, to mingle with what rowdies might be attracted here during days of serious moonlight.

The smashing of windows frightens people who have to travel alone at night and speaks to a purpose of interference among the young that I do not serve as an apologist for, because it is a very cruel tactic that causes intimidation and hatred. But this is Seattle and the ways of the young here are often very meaningful even when they are destructive and dangerously confused.

Often young men breaking windows in places like Chinatown are victims of society. Young people exposed to weapons, drugs, adolescence and gang conflicts carry the dual burden of being children who know too much with nowhere to turn.

It takes courage to identify and confront bullies, but it also takes courage to realize that people have not lost their innocence just because bullies dominate them. In their fury over losing grips with their prospects and truth, young people will become destructive.